3 Gen Z approved first cars to test drive today

Remember to enter our #StyleYourSmile competition with Listerine!

3 Ways in which this mouthwash gives you better oral health

Skin condition photo series features models with Albinism and Vitiligo

Text: Zoe Weiner; Photography: Instagram

June 14, 2018

If there’s one thing we know to be true, it’s that beauty is so much more than skin deep. Taking that to heart is 20-year-old photographer Peter DeVito, who has released an extensive collection of pictures featuring subjects with vitiligo, albinism, freckles, and birthmarks all in an effort to reclaim the stigma against them.

A post shared by PJ DeVito (@peterdevito) on May 18, 2018 at 11:40am PDT

As Yahoo! Lifestyle reports, in each image, the subjects used letter stickers to imprint commonly asked the question (or in certain cases, a statement or assumption) about their appearance on their cheeks. “Does it Hurt?” “Are you a ghost?” “What’s the matter with your skin?” read some examples. Then, they responded to the questions in written essays of their own, which were shared alongside each powerful portrait.

“Albinism is a condition that affects the exterior,” model Diandra Forrest wrote alongside her stunning shot. “I am fierce, funny, compassionate, and nurturing. These are some qualities that matter most.”

Fellow model Amy Deanna, who appeared in a February CoverGirl campaign, wore a comment that reads, “No one will marry you with that skin.” In response, Amy wrote, “I love myself despite [my] Vitiligo and if you can’t then you don’t deserve me. I will never apologize for being me.”

“My objective with this project was to empower more people and to help normalize skin conditions,” Peter told Teen Vogue. “I looked on Instagram for models, but I also reached out to agencies, and asked my friends if they knew anyone that would be interested in being a part of the project.”

If there’s one thing we know to be true, it’s that beauty is so much more than skin deep. Taking that to heart is 20-year-old photographer Peter DeVito, who has released an extensive collection of pictures featuring subjects with vitiligo, albinism, freckles, and birthmarks all in an effort to reclaim the stigma against them.

A post shared by PJ DeVito (@peterdevito) on May 17, 2018 at 10:09am PDT

Fellow model Amy Deanna, who appeared in a February CoverGirl campaign, wore a comment that reads, “No one will marry you with that skin.” In response, Amy wrote, “I love myself despite [my] Vitiligo and if you can’t then you don’t deserve me. I will never apologize for being me.”

“My objective with this project was to empower more people and to help normalize skin conditions,” Peter told Teen Vogue. “I looked on Instagram for models, but I also reached out to agencies, and asked my friends if they knew anyone that would be interested in being a part of the project.”

Peter was inspired to create the campaign because he — like so many of us — wanted to do something to empower underrepresented voices within the fashion industry. “My recent projects have focused on skin positivity, mainly pertaining to acne, so I wanted to expand what I’ve been working on and give people with other skin conditions a platform to tell their stories as well,” he said. “I was drawn to this concept because I wanted to show that the words people use to label and bully us do not define us.”

A post shared by PJ DeVito (@peterdevito) on May 7, 2018 at 10:07am PDT

The industry, it seems, actually is starting to change for the better. New fashion campaigns are celebrating models with skin conditions, and more and more people are using social media to embrace what they once may have hidden and spread positivity around things that might be considered different.

With voices like Winnie Harlow, who has previously taken a stand against being labelled a “Vitiligo sufferer”, Peter, and all of the other models included in the campaign, it’s clear that this is just the beginning of the wave of change that lies ahead.